


Old habits truly die hard

by El_exe



Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Blood and Injury, Can be taken as platonic or romantic, Gen, Hospitals, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, Missions Gone Wrong, My First Fanfic, Post Completing the Mission, Triple Threat (ending)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:15:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25933477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/El_exe/pseuds/El_exe
Summary: A relatively simple mission goes off the rails when Henry slips back into his old habits and takes something he shouldn't. Ellie and Charles deal with the bloody consequences.
Relationships: Charles Calvin & Ellie Rose, Charles Calvin & Ellie Rose & Henry Stickmin
Comments: 19
Kudos: 240





	1. A little oopsie

-Oi! There he is!

A hail of bullets rang throughout the tight hallway, all aimed at a single figure sprinting down it.

-He's got the Tanzanite ring! Stop 'im!

Henry shouldn't be surprised anymore. When you grab things that look valuable it always has some sort of drawback. Even dinky old Toppat bases have alarms these days. But how could he not? That ring was a beauty and what's wrong with a little action in a boring information gathering government mission? The main work was done anyways, they were just collecting info on the remaining Toppats that fled the raid on the launch site, so having a little fun shouldn't be the end of the world. Or maybe old habits die hard.

But here he is, sprinting down the narrow hallway clutching the all-important documents to his chest with five Toppats hot on his heels. He's gotta find some way to either flee or fight back before he gets turned into a bullet filled swiss cheese.

A brisk sound of static crackled in his earpiece, followed by a familiar female voice.

-Henry! Turn left! There's an armory near your location. Should be enough firepower in there to get you and me back safely. I'll get there through the vents.

A hint of surprise, accompanied by a small smile etched onto Henry's face. He knew that having Ellie in the vents was a good idea. He's gotta remind himself that isn't alone like in his many past robberies and heists. Ever since he, Ellie, and Charles took down the Toppat clan and their space station plans he's always got someone on his side.

Another crackle of static, followed by a familiar male voice.

-Roger that Ellie! I'll hack into the electrical grid and get the door open, should be an uh, a piece of cake!

Henry quickly turned the corner, narrowly avoiding the hailstorm of bullets. He could see a door open in the distance.

-Bingo! Door's open! Now go!

-Don't let him get away! one of the Toppat goons roared.

He was almost there, just a few more meters-

_ BANG! _

The white-hot pain was so sudden and overwhelming. The aching was familiar, Henry had been shot before, but it was never this strong. He tripped on his feet and had to stop in his tracks for a second, taken aback by this sudden feeling.

_ BANG! BANG! _

Two more centers for pain, one in his left shoulder and one in his right knee. He barely noticed that he was tipping over before his head made contact with the hard concrete floor, he thinks he can hear voices calling his name at the same time but he's not sure. He can however hear the Toppats coming closer, he's gotta get back up!

With all his might, he tried to push himself back onto his feet, but the pain is defeating, sucking all his energy and will to fight. He crawled a few centimeters forward before falling again. The floor is cold, and it's kind of comfortable against the hot agony. He's been on edge and running for a while, he deserves this. Just a little rest.

Henry closes his eyes, and the world dives into darkness.

-Henry! Come in!

The alarm in Charles's voice was clear as day, but not unwarranted. Ellie herself felt pretty panicked as she scurried through the vents like a rat on steroids. Three shots had hit someone, she could make that out by the sound. And Henry wasn't responding. The man might be mute but he at least makes a sound of acknowledgment when asked. Her mind jumped to the worst scenario immediately, only causing her to move faster. She knew his location, she knew she could get to the armory and kick the Toppats asses into the next millennium, but maybe it's already too late? She could feel the clock ticking, the time limit slowly running out.

-No, this is Henry Stickmin we're talking about, there's no way...Pull yourself together! she'd hiss to herself.

But the feeling that something had gone very wrong wouldn't fade. 

She could hear the Toppats talking among themselves as she crawled through the vents above them.

-This is Henry Stickmin? The man that brought down the Airship division and foiled the rocket plan? one would mumble harshly

-Well, seems like he's fallen right into our laps! Not so legendary now eh Stickmin? another would exclaim proudly

-Stop gloating Quickie and just shoot him already! Haven't you learn to not monolog over your victim's body until they're actually dead? the first one would snarl.

-Oh, come on Killjoy! Don't be such a boring snob! What's the worst that could happen? a third one would interject as she picked up the ring that had fallen out of Henry's hands.

-Yeah, you think Stickmin here got allies? He was clearly here to steal the ring, the greedy bastard! Quickie snapped.

-Trust me, someones gonna appear from somewhere and turn us to shooting practice if we don't end him and get a move on-

The sound of a minigun startled the Toppat squad. They scrambled for their weapons as bullets whirled past them.

-Who's there?! Quickie bellowed.

Out from the shadows of the armory, Ellie walked out with her finger firmly holding down the trigger of the minigun. Quickie raised his pistol and took a few shots at her. Most missed but one managed to graze her shoulder, but not even that would deter her.

-We can't deal with this! We've got back what's ours anyway! Fall back! Retreat! Killjoy ordered as the shots rained down on them.

The Toppats scrambled away, some of them carried by their co-workers.

-Charles! Send in the reinforcements! They're getting away-

-Don't worry, I've got a plan!

-Great, what's the plan-

An explosion rocked the building, prompting some of the already weak walls to crumble in on themselves. The wall to the right of Ellie was nothing more than debris on the ground now.

-Charles! Did you just crash the helicopter into the building-

-What? Oh yeah right uh, no not this time! It was a missile. The Toppats are caved into the central control room! Charles would reply.

-Huh, that's was a surprisingly good move coming from you, Ellie uttered quietly.

-Have you checked up on Henry? Is he alright?!

She jumped a bit, almost having forgotten her friend in the action of gunning down Toppats. She dropped the minigun and ran over to his scarily still body.

-Henry, Are you alright? Say something! She said while kneeling.

Henry stayed eerily quiet, like a mannequin. Ellie tilted her head in confusion before noticing the blood pouring out around his shoulder...and knee...and lower back. The wound was uncomfortably close to his spine.

-Shit, she exhaled quietly.

-What? What's wrong? Charles questioned, despite being able to make out the probable reason.

Ellie snapped out of her short session of spacing out and jumped into action.

-Charles, call in a medic as well! Quickly! she'd say while ripping off the sleeve of her black government-issued shirt.

-Wait, how bad is it?!

-Not gonna lie, it's pretty bad. Three shots connected, one in his left shoulder, one in his right knee and one in his lower back, There's also some heavy bloodloss, she assessed while tying her ripped off sleeve around the hole in his back.

-The medics are getting here in around 45 minutes due to the heavy turbulence but I-I don't think that's fast enough, what do we do? Charles faltered while frantically pressing buttons.

-Hang on I've got a plan! Ellie exclaimed.

-We take him on the helicopter and have the med team wait at the nearest base, it'll cut down the time!

-I don't think we have a better option, Lets go for it, I'm uh, prepared to land, be ready!

As the sound of helicopter blades grew louder Ellie hoisted Henry softly up into a fireman carry and headed out through the hole in the wall with brisk steps. Blood trailed behind her as she approached the helicopter. 

-Pass him over, we don't have much time, Charles called as his eyes were caught on Henry's bleeding wounds.

Ellie would do just that, hissing as Henry's limp hand came into contact with the graze on her shoulder.

-Huh? Are you alright Ellie? Charles asked while softly putting Henry down on the bench.

-Yeah, just a graze, nothing much. she replied as she hastily closed the door behind her.

-Are you sure? Like, 100% sure? he continued.

-Charles, focus on getting Henry to the base, not me, I'll handle it, she snapped.

Charles eyed her with worry as he took off his outer jacket. He'd then quickly fold it into a makeshift pillow and put it under Henry's head.

-Make sure he doesn't fall off, this might uh...be a pretty bumpy ride, he murmured as he entered the cockpit, the stress in his voice being clear.

-Will do, Now hurry!

The helicopter's engines roared to life as Ellie started applying pressure on Henry's knee and shoulder wounds, causing him to utter a small pained grunt. She winced but kept the pressure while Henry's blood mattered her palms. As they flew into the air at high speeds both her and Charles's were left with nothing but the sounds of the helicopter and their own stressed-out thoughts.


	2. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note here! People told me that using " instead of - when characters talk would be a better idea. I'll definitely use that in the future but I kept the whole - thing for this chapter for consistency because I am a slave to aesthetics. Also, thank you all for your support on this fic! It really motivated me to make this chapter both longer and better so i hope i delivered! 
> 
> Also, imma just say that the only thing I ship when it comes to the trio is all of them in one poly relationship. But this fic was mostly written with a platonic theme in mind. You can interpret it however ya want but I wanted to get my biases on the table. 
> 
> Now please enjoy this 3000+ word monstrosity.

_Tap_  
_Tap_  
_Tap_  
_Tap-_

-Charles, you're gonna tear open a path into the floor with how much you're pacing.

Charles jumped a bit, startled by Ellie's comment.

-Right uh...sorry, he'd respond while scratching the back of his head.

-No need to apologize, she said with a small smile.

As Charles pacing came to a temporary stop another sound echoed throughout the stiff hospital air.

_Cling!_  
_Cling!_  
_Cling!_

-Ellie, you're gonna tear open your fingernail with how much you're flipping that coin, he snarked a bit.

-Touche.

An awkward silence followed after both noises stopped. Charles sighed nervously and sat beside Ellie.

-How long has it been since we got here? he asked.

-No idea, probably a few hours, she remarked while flipping her coin.

Charles leaned into the uncomfortable waiting room chair and thought back to when they arrived.

Most of it was blurry, just a mix of greens, whites, and greys slowly merging into one blob of color. But there's some clarity. He remembers informing the General of their situation, the surprise, and then the hardness in the old man's voice. He remembers the turbulence fighting with him as he approached the landing spot, and then the extremely sloppy landing. God the helicopter almost tipped over, Galeforce will probably hound him for that later. He remembers the med-team storming the vehicle before he could even get the engines off and then they start to gather around Henry-

Charles froze up a bit and his horrified stare shifted to the floor.

Oh god, Henry. Henry who was too still, way too bloody and way too dead-looking. No...no no no _no_ -

A sudden hand on his shoulder caused him to snap back.

-Hey, it's gonna be okay, he'll pull through, Ellie uttered softly.

Charles breathed in shakily.

-Thank you, he stammered.

-No problem, she reassured.

Another silence reemerged. Charles took some deep breaths, and Ellie kept flipping her coin with her right hand but she kept her left hand on Charles's shoulder. A sigh broke the quietness.

-How did you know? Charles asked.

-Huh? Ellie responded, taken aback by the sudden question.

-How did you know that I was uh, thinking about that? he continued, his eyes reverting to her.

Ellie shrugged.

-I've seen that expression many times before, so you could say experience.

-How so? he questioned.

Ellie averted her gaze to the ceiling and the sound of the coin ceased.

-The life I chose wasn't all robberies and arson, It had its nasty parts, she simply stated.

-Oh, he breathed.

Charles couldn't think of anything else to say. When she or Henry brings up their previous lives it's often a bit startling.  
Yeah, he's fully aware that his friends don't have the cleanest records and are pretty shady individuals, doesn't mean he likes dwelling on it. He isn't stupid however, he has seen how others around him eye them suspiciously. Sometimes he catches himself wondering what caused Henry and Ellie to go into a life of crime. Although it's probably not for happy reasons.

-This one time I and one of my contacts had to flee a police raid on their bakery, his husband got shot and I had to calm him from a panic attack, she recalled with a smile.

-What? Did he uh...survive? Charles exclaimed with surprise.

-Heh, yeah he was okay, Last time I heard they got clean and opened an actual bakery instead of just using it as a drug front, she quipped with a grin.

-Huh, that reminds me of a coworker I had, he chirped.

-Really?

-Yeah, he was a fellow helicopter pilot, got shot down, and um...lost his legs. After that, he opened a bar near the base, he's a pretty cool guy!

Charles's smile would falter a bit.

-Probably one of the worst injuries I've seen though...and they weren't even fresh.

-I suppose you don't see a lot of wounds huh? Ellie commented.

-Um...yeah that's true, being a pilot doesn't really expose you to the err, ickiest damages y'know?

He laughed bittersweetly while scratching his neck.

-That's probably why I freaked out about Henry's bullet wounds, I guess uh... not being on the 'front lines' has its downsides...

Ellie squeezed his shoulder softly.

-Hey, don't put yourself down, she said softly.

Charles sighed once again and leaned a bit into her hand.

-And...To be honest, I was pretty freaked out too, she added.

-Huh? Why? he blurted out.

-Well, It's Henry god damn Stickmin, He's a legend within certain circles and seeing him of all people going down like that? That really freaks you out.

-Yeah, I guess that makes sense..., he said uncertainly.

-And...He saved me. Of course I'd freak out.

Charles raised an eyebrow while Ellie took an uncertain breath.

-When we were at The Wall...he could have just left me there after I helped him get up to the vent, he could have abandoned me when I was captured by the Warden's right-hand man!

Her grip on Charles's shoulder grew in strength.

-But he didn't, he never deserted me even though we barely knew each other. And if he dies because of some fucking Toppats I'll never be able too-

-Stop.

Charles's sudden sharp tone cut her off. Her slightly glazed green eyes met his serious but comforting brown ones.

-He'll be fine, you said so yourself.

He moved his left hand to rest upon her hand that was still clutching his shoulder.

-And yeah, he is Henry god damn Stickmin, no way some dinky Toppats are taking him down after everything he survived! Everything's gonna be okay y'know.

Ellie broke eye contact, shifting her gaze to the floor.

-You're right, you're right, she sighed while running her hand through her hair.

Charles gave her a kind smile.

The silence that followed was nice in a way. Both of them were stuck in their own thoughts yet they also enjoyed the comfortable presence of the other in such a high-stress situation. Ellie's hand was still planted firmly on Charles'es right shoulder and Charles'es hand was still softly placed on her hand.

Half an hour later the silence was broken by a question.

-What do you think is the weirdest thing Henry's done?

Ellie thought for a second.

-Wow, there's a lot to choose from, she stated. Charles snorted.

-Well, when I and Henry were working on the first Toppat mission he somehow managed to sneak by some Toppats by putting glue on his hands and climbing over them.

-Tch, that's nothing compared to when he told me to shoot him with a taser while he fired from a rifle, Ellie stated confidently.

-How about the time he tried to scare a Toppat with a spider and when the guy didn't get scared he just smashed the stick into his head? Charles challenged.

-Doesn't beat the when I was captured by one of the Wall employees and Henry just, made a face! And it somehow worked! She boldly claimed.

-One time I asked him what he wanted me to do after I hacked into the power grid and he just made-

Charles was cut off by someone entering the waiting room. Both of their eyes snapped to this newcomer.

-General! Charles said with a quick salute.

Ellie awkwardly saluted as well. She didn't know where she and Galeforce stood since she wasn't really a soldier, but she thought it's better to be safe than sorry.

-Ah, Charlie and Ms.Rose, I've been looking for you, Galeforce said with a neutral tone.

-What for? Charles questioned with a raised eyebrow.

-Well, those files on the Toppats Henry collected are..nowhere to be...seen, Galeforce trailed off while scanning both Charles and Ellie.

-I have them here sir, Ellie explained while taking said files from a pocket inside her jacket.

-Excellent Ms.Rose! Galeforce exclaimed while grabbing them from her outstretched hand.

-Might I ask where your sleeve went? he continued while skimming through the papers.

-Used it to tie a tourniquet around one of Henry's wounds, she responded nonchalantly.

-Very quick thinking there! didn't expect any les-

Galeforce's comment came to a screeching halt when he noticed a very suspicious rip and patches of blood all around Ellie's right shoulder.

-Ms. Rose, Care to explain what happened to your shoulder? He barked sternly.

-Uhhh, she stammered, clearly caught off guard by the General's question.

-Wait a sec, let me see that! Charles suddenly said having remembered how she hissed when Henry's limp hand dragged over her shoulder.

Before Ellie could discourage him and say she was fine Charles had already exposed the wound on her shoulder.

-Ellie what the hell?! Why didn't you tell me you got hit?! he huffed with concern.

-It didn't hit, it's just a graze calm down, she responded with slight annoyance.

-Graze's need to be treated to Ms. Rose, you can't just hide an injury like that, Galceforce scolded while pinching the bridge of his nose.

-I think three actively bleeding bullet wounds are more serious than a single- she started before getting cut off by a stinging pain in her shoulder. She hissed a bit.

-Sorry, needed to check for possible infection, Charles said apologetically.

Galeforce gently approached her.

-I know you're worried about Henry but that doesn't mean you can ignore your own well-being, he expressed with a certain soft yet stern tone.

Ellie looked between Galeforce's stern expression and Charles'es worried one before letting out a 'hmph'.

-Fine, I'll go get it treated, she mumbled.

-Great, I'll take these files to base, Galeforce asserted with a satisfied tone.

His eyes shifted to Charles.

-I trust you to patch her up Charlie since all the medical staff is currently occupied.

-No worries General! Charles chirped while getting Ellie up to her feet.

With a nod and a final wave, Galeforce walked out the doors and headed towards the main building. Charles took that as a queue to lead Ellie down the hallway.

-Are we even allowed to do this? Ellie questioned with confusion.

-Yes of course! There are some 'self-care' rooms that you can use to uh, patch yourself up if you need to, Charles quipped while leading her into an empty hospital room.

She took a seat on the bed while Charles gathered some supplies from the cabins.

-Do you know what you're doing? She asked uncertainly while he approached.

-Yeah? Everyone has to learn some basic first aid before doing any missions. And besides, do you really think I'd try to stitch your wound shut if I didn't have any experience?

Ellie rolled her eyes and gave him a knowing look. Charles coughed sheepishly before applying some alcohol to a cloth.

-This will uh, probably sting a little, he added while applying the cloth to the wound.

She breathed in sharply as the stinging pain ran through her. Charles winced in sympathy but kept cleaning the wound with the cloth.

-There we go, now we just gotta stitch this bad boi up.

Charles smoothly stitched up the wound and then simply wrapped it up with bandages. He backed away a bit and smiled.

-There we go, that should cover it, he said with a little smirk.

-That pun sucked and you should feel horrible, Ellie deadpanned.

-Problem is that I don't, he snarked.

Ellie rolled her eyes fondly as she stood up.

-Are you ready to head back? Charles asked.

-Yeah, let's go, she answered while heading out through the door.

As they walked down the hallway towards the waiting room Charles suddenly opened his mouth.

-Y'know, if you ever get injured, don't be afraid to uh, tell me, he spoke softly.

Ellie sighed.

-Yeah, I'll keep that in mind, she muttered.

-And uh, thank you for patching me up, she added quietly.

-No problem, that's what friends are for! Charles said with a small laugh.

As they returned to their seats in the waiting room a comfortable silence returned. The only sounds echoing throughout the hallways was a soft Cling! and the occasional yawn. As the hours went by fatigue started sneaking up on both of them, the stress and worry had worn them both out and the rising moon wasn't helping. Charles fell first, curling up on his side and splaying out over the chairs. With a soft 'good night' he took his trip to dreamland.

When Ellie noticed that Charles had fallen asleep she stood up. In her sleep-deprived mind, there was no way in hell was Charles gonna sleep with a chair as his pillow after all he had done. She determinedly searched for anything to use as a substitute and found a neatly folded blanket. After putting the blanket under his head she sat back down in her seat. Only a few minutes past before she was slumped over, having succumbed to fatigue herself.

The first thing Charles noticed was the bright light shining on his face, disturbing his peaceful slumber. He groaned, annoyed at the lamps and the sun for waking him up.

-Mr. Calvin, are you awake?

The sudden male voice startled him. He jumped a little bit and snapped his head towards the speaker.

-W-What? Is there uh, something you need? he stuttered out with a slight yawn.

As his sleep-filled eyes started to focus a bit he could clearly see a 30-something-year-old man in a white coat standing in front of him. He was holding some kind of clipboard and looked slightly annoyed.

-Well, I'm here to inform you that Henry Stickmin is awake now, he said simply.

Charles couldn't believe what he just heard, Henry was okay? And awake?!

-He is?! Can we see him?! he exclaimed, his sleepiness disappearing in a wave of excitement.

-Yes of course, just follow me, the coat man stated.

Charles turned his eyes to Ellie who was still sleeping in her chair.

-Hey Ellie! Get up! We've got someone to see!

-If it isn't God himself I don't care, Ellie mumbled tiredly.

-It's Henry, he's awake!

Ellie's eyes snapped open.

-Wait really? You're not joking, right? she yawned.

Charles rolled his eyes and hoisted her out of the seat.

-I'll take that as a yes, she droned, still not fully awake.

The doctor raised an eyebrow before leading them down another hallway. As they arrived at the door the doctor opened his mouth.

-Be careful okay? Mr.Stickmin is still healing and we don't want to have him in the ER again, capiche?

-Yes sir, we'll be careful! Charles promised while Ellie just nodded.

The doctor smiled a bit before leaving the two alone. Charles softly opened the door.

The room was pretty bland, only a single orange chair in the corner stood out from all the white. Although the hospital bed was clearly in view.

And on that hospital bed, hooked up to a fair amount of equipment, laid one Henry Stickmin.

-Charles? Ellie? he signed weakly, surprised by their sudden arrival.

-Henry! Charles exclaimed while rushing to the side of the bed.

-You alright there Stickmin? Ellie said while closing the door behind her.

Henry shrugged.

-I've felt better, what happened? he signed with a small frown.

-You got shot by some Toppats while on a mission, Charles explained softly.

-Well, that explains the pain, he signed while looking at his bandaged shoulder.

-You're never allowed to get shot again, otherwise, I'll kick your ass into the next year, Ellie joked, but the sharpness that had replaced the daze in her eyes was hard to not spot.

Henry rolled his eyes and did a lazy thumbs up, but his posture straightened when he noticed Ellie's bandaged shoulder.

-What happened there? Are you alright? he signed worriedly while pointing at her shoulder.

-Oh, got grazed by a bullet while I was kicking the Toppats asses, but don't worry, Charles stitched it up, Ellie reassured.

His eyes would darken and his face formed an angry snarl.

-Those motherfu-

-What even set off the uh...the alarm? You weren't noticed until it went off, Charles quickly asked, trying to change the subject.

Henry's eyes would sharpen a bit, having remembered something.

-Wait, The, the- he started signing but his hands were moving to fast for them to read.

-Hey hey hey, slow down! It's a bit hard to read what you're saying, Ellie said promptly.

-The ring! Henry slurred.

-The ring? What ring? Ellie stated confused.

As Henry was trying to communicate what he meant, Charles'es face lit up.

-Wait, you tried to steal a ring didn't you? Charles said with an unimpressed tone.

Henry suddenly stopped moving and looked a bit sheepish.

-No? he signed with a guilty expression.

Charles facepalmed while Ellie burst out laughing. Henry shrugged with an embarrassed smile.

-I can't believe you sometimes, he groaned into his hand.

But he couldn't stay mad at Henry, he was just so happy that he actually survived and would be alright. Ellie's hysterical laughter started spreading to him and before he knew it, he was laughing as well. Soon all three were laughing like a bunch of little children on a sugar rush. They didn't really know what they were laughing at. Was it the absurdity of the whole thing? Was it just all the bottled out emotions coming out in a gigantic laughing fit? They'll probably never know and never care either.

-It was a really fine ring though, Henry signed while calming down.

-I'll buy you a Ringpop if that makes you feel better, Ellie said while wiping tears from her eyes.

-There's a store nearby so I mean.., Henry signed snarkily.

-Now that I think about it, I might need some sugar in my bloodstream so, Charles commented deviously.

Looking between the two, Ellie fake sighed.

-Okay, since I'm such a good friend I'll go get us some Ringpops, she said with fake annoyance.

-Aw, thank you, what would we do without a hero like you? Henry signed with a glint in his eyes.

Charles giggled a bit as Ellie prepared to head out.

-Hey, remember to not shoplift the Ringpops! he called out as she stepped out the door.

-What are ya gonna do? Stop me? She chirped with a wink.

Charles didn't have time to respond before the door closed. As she started to walk down the hallway towards the exit her speed slowly increased. When she got out of the building she was basically running full speed. This energy wasn't something she usually felt outside of missions but it compelled her to keep running. When she realized the reason she started running she came to a stop. Her eyes turned towards the bright blue morning sky as a smile crept onto her face.

-Ms.Rose? a male voice uttered.

She shifted her eyes onto the man in front of her. Galeforce looked quite confused but his expression quickly turned into one of understanding as he met her eyes. He smiled slightly as he gave her a little nod.

-The store is behind the main office, please don't cause any unneeded trouble, he simply stated.

Ellie gave him a wink and rush past him, eyes on the prize. As she disappeared behind the building the old man could only sigh fondly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that was that! I hope you enjoyed my first fic! As always criticism is always welcomed and thank you again for your support! This fandom is currently so non-toxic it genuinely makes me happy. Please remember to be amazing and support other creators in the fandom! After the effect the comments had on me I'll 100% comment more on other people's fics and I encourage you to do the same.
> 
> I hope you have a wonderful day/night/evening/dusk/whatever time of day it is for you!
> 
> -EXE

**Author's Note:**

> So uh, yeah this is my first fanfic...ever. It's probably nothing special but I really wanted to write something for this blooming fandom. And what better way to appreciate the characters then to hurt them? I'm open to criticism, life is about improving after all! Chapter 2 should come out relatively soon but since school's startin' it could get delayed. Sorry for the cliffhanger!


End file.
